From Under the Sakura Tree
by ChItalianese
Summary: He was the heir of the Kuchiki clan- the only son of Kuchiki Byakuya. She was the carefree daughter of the 8th division captain- his little girl. For 4 years they were apart, but they soon find that their friendship is easily rekindled...
1. Chapter 1 Tea and Sakura Petals

**Hello! Welcome to From Under the Sakura Tree, or just FUST. This story follows Kuchiki Byakuya's son and Kyoraku Shunsui's daughter- their friendship, love, and past. I thought of this awhile ago, but finally got my fingers typing, since I've been kind of busy with Shadowed Angel :) It's also going to be about Byakuya and Shunsui's relationships with their children's mothers (which remains a mystery for now...)... The pairings are slightly random, but have some type of canon back story that makes everything make sense ^.^**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach!**

**Enjoy :)**

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Kyoraku Harumi smiled absentmindedly as she stared up at the sakura tree she sat under. The pink flowers were in full blossom and were the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. They made her think of everything that she loved in her life- her father, her Zanpakuto, springtime- those small flowers made her feel happy. Whenever she looked at them, she felt her worries float away. She never thought those flowers could make her have to endure an entire day of _him_.

The usually cheerful Harumi frowned. Ugh, if there was one person she did _not_ want to spend a day with, it would be him. That arrogant, snobby, _rich_, _**noble**_... he had to be the one person she hated. True, she hadn't seen him in years, but when she learned that he had graduated the Shinigami Academy a year earlier then she had- her dislike flared up again.

Her father had told her that he was a year or two older than she was, but she didn't think he deserved to graduate earlier than she did... his father probably bribed the headmaster. What a fool. Hirumi wondered if he had even been able to achieve Shikai yet... probably not. Then again, his dad was pretty intense, so _maybe_ he had.

"Ah, Harumi-chan, why are you frowning?" She perked up, searching for whoever had spoken. She saw a familiar tall white haired captain heading towards her. She smiled.

"Ohayo, Ukitake-san!" She jumped to her feet to greet her "uncle". He chuckled at her new enthusiasm. He ruffled her dark hair like he had when she was a little kid.

"You looked like you were pretty deep in thought, Harumi-chan," Ukitake said, resting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the man and sighed.

"Papa said that we have to go to the cherry blossom viewing party today," She pouted, crossing her arms.

"Is that a bad thing?" Ukitake blinked a few times. He looked surprised at her sudden bad mood. He removed his hand from her shoulder and took a seat on the stone bench underneath the sakura tree. The captain motioned for her to join him. She did so.

"Well, I don't mind the flowers, in fact, I love the viewing!" Harumi began, "It's just that the location could've been better... A _lot_ better..." The end of her sentence was mumbled, but she knew that Ukitake had heard her.

"Oh... I see..." the white haired man held his chin in thought. "That's right... it's at Kuchiki-san's house."

"Precisely," she sighed, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. Her day off from school just _had _to be spent at the Kuchiki manor with her _favorite_ person.

"Why do you not want to go? Do you not like Kuchiki-san? Does he scare you?"

"No!" She was quick to answer. Kuchiki-_sama_ was not the one who she didn't like. Sure, he was a little intimidating, but she had grown up around him, so he didn't bother her. It was his _son_.

God, his _son._

_ "_Is it the young Kuchiki?" Bingo. Harumi groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Harumi-chan, he can't be _that_ bad." Ukitake tried to reason with the frustrated girl.

"He is!" She exclaimed, waving her hands. "He's the _worst_!"

"If I remember correctly," the captain said, gazing out at the 8th Squad barracks that were surrounding the courtyard, "the last time you saw Kuchiki-san's son, was," he paused to count on his fingers, "four years ago?"

"Yes..." she bit her lip, looking at the ground.

"He may have changed, Harumi-chan, you never know!" Ukitake smiled comfortingly. _He has a point..._ She thought sheepishly.

"I guess you're right, Ukitake-san..." she gave a small smile. "I guess I'm just going to have to see what happens!"

"_Now_ you are acting like the Harumi I know," He patted her on the leg. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Now, you better get ready, since I just heard Nanao-san shout at Shunsui to wake up and that he was going to be late." The man chuckled at his best-friend's knack for sleeping-in and being late.

"I suppose you're right..." Harumi rose, picking up her Zanpakuto that was leaning against the tree. "Ja ne, Ukitake-san!" She bowed to the captain before running to find her father.

"Ja ne, Harumi-chan!" Ukitake chuckled.

Hirumi burst into her father's room, glaring at the man, who was still sleeping.

"Papa!" She shouted, "We're going to be late!"

"Uhhh..." Captain Kyoraku groaned and rolled over. "I don't wanna go..." He mumbled.

"I've been trying to wake him up for thirty minutes, already..." Nanao stood next to the girl, shaking her head. "He's so lazy it's impossible to get him to do anything."

"Papa! It was _your_ idea to go in the first place! Kuchiki-taichou will be mad if we don't show up!" His daughter stood over her father's half asleep form, yelling at him. When she saw him ignore her, she searched around the room to find something to use to wake him up. Her eyes fell upon his favorite pink woman's kimono hanging on a hook. Oh, yeah...

She marched up and snatched it off the hook. His hat was hanging next to it. She decided to take that too.

"Papa, I have your kimono and hat, if you don't get up, I'm going to-"

"I'm up!" the man jolted awake and stared hurtfully at his daughter. "You wouldn't really destroy them would you?"

"Papa," Harumi sighed, extending the garments, "please just get ready. I don't want to go either, but we have to." The captain grumbled, but quickly took his favorite articles of clothing and disappeared into his bathroom.

"He forgot his captain's haori," Nanao observed dryly. Moments later, the sleepy man came back into the room and picked up his captain's robe.

"I forgot my haori..." he said before he vanished into the bathroom again. Harumi and Nanao exchanged dull glances. The captain's daughter shook her head and chuckled at her dad's unbelievably lazy personality. Hopefully, he would be more awake after washing his face and changing. Hopefully.

Captain Kyoraku emerged looking more refreshed and a lot more awake than he had two minutes prior.

"Ah, my favorite ladies! They have saved me from the evil wrath of Kuchiki-taichou!" he joked loudly.

"Not yet, Papa, we still have to _get_ there." Harumi said, smiling. Kyoraku, his daughter, and his lieutenant walked out of the building and used shun-po to quickly make it to the Kuchiki's flower viewing party.

Thankfully, they arrived on time, cutting it extremely close, but getting there at the exact time the other captain had told them to.

"Ah, Byakuya, good morning," Kyoraku said cheerily.

"Good morning, Kyoraku-taichou," The head of the Kuchiki clan said shortly, nodding.

"Good morning, Kuchiki-taichou," Nanao and Harumi exchanged greetings with the 6th Squad captain.

"Where's your son?" Kyoraku asked. Harumi resisted the urge to groan and glare at her father.

"I believe he is in the house..." Byakuya called over a servant to fetch him. The young girl smiled and ran into the house. Of course. _Everyone_ drooled over the young Kuchiki. At the Academy, all the girls wanted to go out with him... it was sickening.

"Kuchiki-taichou," Harumi said, trying to destroy the image of her friends flirting with the captain's son, "which squad is Tatsuo in?" One of her friends had told her... but she forgot.

"Currently, he is in the third," Byakuya took sip of tea, "Which squad were you looking to join after your graduation?" He glanced at Kyoraku and Nanao, as if asking them if they were going to automatically accept her.

"Possibly the 13th, but I really have no preference," Harumi said, hands cupping her tea as she stared at the tea leaves shifting at the bottom. "I'd be grateful to even get in one right after graduation!" She smiled sweetly.

"You have already achieved Shikai," Byakuya noted, "many squads will wish to recruit you. I'm sure some have already approached you." His slate gray eyes stared into her, making her try not to squirm uncomfortably.

"Oh, well... not really, I mean..." She blushed. She was lying. Almost every single squad, excluding the 2nd, 6th, 12th, and 11th, had at one point in time, suggested her joining. But she had merely smiled and said, "Of course!" to each representative that came to her. She wondered if people asked her just because she was Kyoraku's daughter, or if they _really_ thought that she could do it.

"The 6th squad would most definitely appreciate another Shikai user, since we are currently without a lieutenant and need stronger seated members to support the squad while we search for another lieutenant." Harumi's heart fluttered with excitement. She was being asked to join Kuchiki Byakuya's squad! Sure, she didn't like his son, but his _squad_ was another story!

"Oh my gosh! Uhm, I don't know what to say!" She was literally at a loss for words. Her father and Nanao were just as shocked. As far as they knew, Kuchiki Byakuya didn't exactly hold the Kyoraku family in high regard... "Arigato Gozaimas, Kuchiki-taichou!" Harumi was beaming, her cheery personality showing in full.

"Think nothing of it, Kyoraku-san." He answered indifferently. "It is also to my understanding that Renji's squad has asked you to join them, correct?" It was true... the 5th squad had also approached her. Abarai Renji was one of the most famous Shinigami of their time... but so was Kuchiki Byakuya...

"Yes," Harumi struggled to remain cool and calm while processing all the information swirling around in her brain.

"And Captain Hisagi Shuhei's division has come to you, as well." Byakuya shared this information flatly, initially making the entire point of him speaking unknown. Harumi nodded slowly. "I would suggest working to become lieutenant there, Harumi-san, the position has been open for some time." His words shocked the three other Shinigami there. Why was he trying to help her? Nanao was more suspicious of the captain, than surprised... she knew that Kuchiki Byakuya was only kind when it benefitted him in some way or the other.

Harumi's gaze was diverted from the captain to another person who seemed to mysteriously appear on the Kuchiki's porch that looked over the courtyard. She had to blink several times to register who was actually standing there next to a short Shinigami who she recognized as Rukia.

_Since when has Kuchiki Tatsuo actually looked hot?_

He stared out at the scene before him. Wow. His dad had actually invited Kyoraku and his lieutenant? Why? It wasn't like they associated themselves with them... And who was that girl with them? She was just chatting away with his father as if they had known each other for years and years. It kind of disgusted him.

She smiled. No one _smiled_ at Kuchiki Byakuya unless they had a thing for him. Which was _also_ disgusting, considering he was over a hundred years older than her... There wasn't anything weirder than those crazy school girls that always tried to kiss up to the captain and win him over... Thank God he was like a stone wall towards people like that.

But why was he acting somewhat nice to _this_ particular girl? What was so special about her?

"You checking out Kyoraku's daughter?" Tatsuo flinched.

Rukia smirked at her nephew's sudden jumpiness. He whirled around to glare at his aunt, eyes narrowed.

"Don't come up behind me like that..." He grumbled, turning back to look at the girl.

"You didn't answer my question, Tatsuo," Rukia said, ignoring her nephew's bad mood.

"What did you say?" He was purposely blocking out the shorter Shinigami's words, so that he could focus on figuring out _who_ the girl talking to his dad was.

The way her long dark tresses cascaded down her back and caught the light, revealing its true color to be naturally highlighted with browns and reds, was mesmerizing in itself. She had a trim figure and wasn't lacking in the chest department, but she wasn't monstrously huge like Rangiku... thankfully. Her outfit said that she was still in school, but the fact that the katana tied to her obi had a uniquely shaped guard and its hilt was wrapped in ribbons that were different shades of white, light blue, and green, made him think otherwise. She was graduating soon, no doubt. The katana was a Zanpakuto.

Her smile was dazzling, and was something that all the girls and women in Soul Society probably envied and spoke of behind her back. He couldn't really see her eyes and most of her face, but everything else seemed to clearly spell out "beautiful". Her voice was musical- like wind chimes on a summer breeze. He _had_ to find out who she was.

"...graduating in a few weeks." Rukia finished her speech. When she realized that her nephew hadn't listened to anything she had said and was still staring at the girl, she leered at him.

"So, do you know who this girl is?" He asked, still keeping an eye on the attractive girl.

"Did you not listen to a word I just said?" His aunt glared at him and smacked him over the head, despite the height difference of over an entire foot. The man cringed and rubbed the back of his head. "I just gave you, like, her entire life history!"

"Well, if you know it, maybe you'd like to share it with me again?" He knew he was testing his limits, but he wanted to know.

Rukia sighed. "She's Kyoraku-taichou's daughter-"

That was all he needed to hear.

"No." His jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"What?" Rukia asked, irritated at his interruption. She crossed her arms, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"There is no way in _hell_ that is Kyoraku's daughter." Tatsuo said, gripping the hilt of his Zanpakuto; it was a bad habit he had when he was bothered.

"Uhm, have you _looked_ at her? She looks exactly like him, except a lot prettier and with darker hair and greenish eyes!"

As if on cue, the girl turned her head and stared at the young Kuchiki heir. His eyes widened.

_Since when has Kyoraku Harumi actually looked hot?_

Harumi stared. _This_ Tatsuo had to be one of the most drop dead _gorgeous_ people she had ever laid eyes on. He was no longer the awkwardly cute, tall, snobby, noble she had grown up terrorizing and being terrorized by.

His raven colored hair was long and pin-straight, slightly layered, and looked clean and washed. He wore Kenseikan above his ears, leaving his bangs free, unlike his father's. His skin was fair, but had a tan tint to it that must've been from training for hours and hours in the sun. His features were sharp and angled, which made him look shockingly like his dad. The resemblance was astounding, but there were definitely other features that separated him from Captain Kuchiki.

For example, his eyes weren't the dark gray that Byakuya's- they were a lighter, golden flecked gray, somewhat cat-like, and appearing fully gold if they caught the light the right way. His skin was tanner and Harumi remembered how she found several bottles of facial scrub in his bathroom years before when she had been forced to hang out with him. She had asked him if his skin was actually darker and if he scrubbed the tan skin off. He hadn't said anything, which she had interpreted as a yes.

Tatsuo had _definitely_ filled out and gained a lot more muscle than he had before. She could see his chest muscles through the small V-neck of the Shinigami uniform. Harumi could only imagine what he looked like without a shirt on...

"Tatsuo," Byakuya called his son to join them. The younger man blinked a few times before walking across the courtyard to sit with them under the sakura tree. He sat down next to his father silently, hiding the fact that he wanted to jab an accusing finger at Kyoraku and scream "What have you done to your daughter to make her so frickin' pretty?"

"Ah, hello, Tatsuo-san!" Kyoraku said, grinning as he sipped his tea.

"Hello, Kyoraku-taichou." Tatsuo looked at Nanao, who looked like she wanted to slap her captain.

"Good morning, Tatsuo-_sama_," She said, emphasizing the honorific and glaring at Kyoraku, as if saying "he's a _noble_ you idiot!" The young Kuchiki nodded politely, then waited for Harumi to greet him.

"Ohyaho, Tatsuo-senpai," She was smirking. _Smirking!_

"Harumi-_san_," He greeted in silent fury. Her smirk widened when she saw the anger raging behind his eyes.

"Tatsuo," His father's unfailingly calm voice caused him to take a deep breath and look over at the man. "I was just explaining to Kyoraku-san that Hisagi-fukutaichou was promoted to captain of the 9th squad and left the position of lieutenant open. " His son nodded. He had already heard about it.

The group talked for a few more minutes until more people began showing up and wrecking the peace that they had established, since Byakuya had to get up and greet the guests.

"Harumi-chan," Kyoraku said, watching younger Shinigami arrive at the Kuchiki manor, "I'm sure Kuchiki-san could use some help getting food ready. She blinked.

"Which one?" She hissed, looking around at the three Kuchikis in front of them.

"Rukia," He answered, lounging and pulling out a bottle of sake from his uniform. Nanao gaped at him.

"Really?" She stared in disbelieve. "You are _unbelievable!_" She glared. Kyoraku chuckled and waved dismissively.

"Calm down, Nanao-chan," He said, tipping his hat down. "There's always time for a good drink."

"Papa, you do know that no one except drunks drink during the day, right?" Harumi commented drily.

"Are you calling Rangiku-san a drunk?"

"Uhm... I don't know," She sighed and stood up. "I guess I'm going to go bother Tatsuo. Ja ne." The captain's daughter walked over to the disgruntled looking young man, grinning freely. "Tatsuo-_sama_," She teased, coming to stand next to the Kuchiki heir.

"Harumi-san." He deadpanned. She rolled her eyes.

"Since when have _you_ become all serious and cold?" She asked, staring up at him. She felt like a midget standing next to the taller Shinigami. "_And_ tall?"

"You say that as if you were once taller than me." Curse him and that arrogant attitude!

"So? You never towered over me like this." She grinned. The aristocrat looked down at her and narrowed his eyes.

"You've got some nerve talking to me like that, Harumi," He threatened, trying to hide the fact that he was incredibly distracted by the long strand of hair hanging in her face.

"How so? _Tatsuo_," He furrowed his brow and scowled. "Or should I say, _Tatsuo-sama_." She playfully giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. It was fun to toy with the Kuchiki heir. He thought he was all that.

"You haven't changed at all," He muttered. A lie. She had become exceedingly beautiful in the four years that they hadn't seen each other in. She had been very pretty before, but wasn't fully grown and had a more childish cuteness than anything else. At this point in time, Tatsuo cursed himself for having the Y chromosome that made him so distracted by women.

"Oh, really? Is that why you can't keep your eyes off of the piece of hair I strategically placed in front of my face to test to see if you had actually gone through puberty and begun noticing girls?" Harumi grinned and inwardly cheered at the fact that her plan had worked. Silly Tatsuo, sure he noticed that she had grown physically, but he didn't know that she had become a lot more playful and sly.

"What piece of hair?" Tatsuo denied, crossing his arms and glowering down at the shorter girl.

"Don't pretend like you didn't notice that, Kuchiki Tatsuo," She poked him in the ribs, "That was only the first part of your test!"

"What test?" Tatsuo asked irritably. He took a step away from the perky girl, not exactly liking where this was heading. Harumi sighed with mock drama.

"You're so _boring, _Tatsuo, don't you ever have any fun?" The man scowled. "Oh, that's right. You're too _noble_ for fun," Harumi turned away from him, "I guess I'm just going to have to _provoke_ you," she disappeared, using Shunpo to suddenly appear on a post of the koi pond's bridge railing. Tatsuo rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. Kyoraku's daughter flashed in several other places, teasing the young Kuchiki, as her flowing hair was the only thing he could see. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulders, and found the captain's daughter sitting on him, her legs dangling in front of his chest.

"What do you think you-" She back-flipped off of him, tutting.

"Come on, Kuchiki-san, why don't you use those muscles hidden underneath that awful uniform," She whispered into his ear, teasingly. He whirled around, but finding her now standing several yards away. "Isn't Kuchiki-taichou one of the best Shunpo users? Too bad his son is horribly slow," She completed several flips to land at the top of the Kuchiki manor, Tatsuo flashing up to meet her.

"You're pushing your limits, Harumi," He warned, flashing behind her and grabbing her by the shoulders. She was still smiling as she ducked away and flashed behind him. His hand shot backward to catch her, but she predicted his move and performed a perfect back handspring to evade his grasp.

"Have you forgotten, _Tatsuo_," She mocked playfully, beaming. She appeared next to him and tugged on the hair coming out of his kenseikan mostly out of childish curiosity, knowing it would irritate him into actually chasing after her. "I'm the most flexible soul in Soul Society," Harumi grinned from ear to ear and jumped clear over the other's head, displaying just how great she was.

"And have _you_ forgotten that I had the best Shunpo among my graduating class?" Tatsuo retorted, speeding up considerably.

Unfortunately, both of them failed to remember that they were at a party with almost all the captains, lieutenants, and seated officers of the Gotei 13, which caused everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at them- watching Harumi do acrobatic stunts to escape Tatsuo's incredibly quick Shunpo. Everyone's eyes were glued on the pair, gaping at the agile young people. Even Byakuya was impressed by Kyoraku's daughter's flips and how she seemed to defy gravity _and_ be swift at the same time with minimal effort.

_She would make an excellent lieutenant or third seat... possibly even for the 2__nd__ division... I'd love to see Renji's face if she made that decision._ He thought, amused in his own little way. A small smile playing on his lips.

"Where does she get that from? You're the most lazy Shinigami on the face of the earth," Nanao said to Kyoraku, who was smiling proudly.

"Ah, Nanao-chan, if only you knew who her mother was..." He chuckled, "sometimes she reminds me exactly of her." Nanao shook her head and sighed. The captain had refused to tell her who Harumi's mother was, no matter how she pestered him and yelled. It seemed like the type of information he would take to his grave. Over a hundred years into the future.

"And I assume you aren't going to tell me now who that is?" She tested, crossing her arms.

"Of course not," His smile grew as he watched his daughter execute a flawless somersault. Her turquoise green eyes were shining with energy, and she was grinning, even when Byakuya's son got dangerously close to catching her.

"That's Kyoraku Harumi, right?" Renji asked loudly. "I never knew that she was so... _flexible_." His obnoxiously loud speech caused Harumi to snap out of her intense focus, immediately recognizing the rough voice as Abarai Renji- the captain of the 5th squad. Tatsuo's arm grabbed her waist and held her in place.

"Gotcha," He whispered, triumphant. She elbowed him in the gut and nodded in the direction of the crowd watching them. He froze.

"Ohayo!" She waved, pushing Tatsuo off of her, blushing slightly. They both jumped off of the roof and landed softly on the ground, nervously shifting under the gazes of the Shinigami.

"She's joining my squad!" Renji announced, puffing his chest out and crossing his arms.

"Quiet, Renji, she has also been asked to join my squad," Byakuya said, raising a challenging eyebrow toward his ex-lieutenant. "And besides, the only position available in the 5th squad is 10th seat A student of her caliber deserves more than that." It was true. Harumi blushed deeper, fingering the hem of her Academy uniform with excitement and shyness.

"Kuchiki-taichou, if I may be so bold as to say," Captain Soi Fon emerged from the crowd, staring down the other captain with a cold glare. "You have only lieutenant and 5th available. I have had the 3rd seat position open for quite some time," She turned to look at Harumi. "which includes the position of Detention Unit Commander." Harumi's heart hammered. Detention Unit? _The_ Detention Unit?

"Alright, alright, calm yourselves," Kyoraku walked up and put an arm around his daughter. "She still has a month until she graduates, you can hold the fighting until then. That is, _if_ she graduates with the rest of the kids..." Harumi blushed.

"Papa, _stop_," she hissed, not liking how everyone was staring at her. The man pretended like he hadn't heard her and led her away to get something to drink. Harumi looked over her shoulder at the now stone-faced Tatsuo, mouthing "Sorry!" A tiny smile lifted up the sides of his mouth to signify that he didn't mind.

"Rangiku-chan!" Kyoraku called, inviting the lieutenant over. The woman flounced over, smiling. Harumi had to admit that she was one of the most beautiful Shinigami in Soul Society, but she had a reputation of being rather... lazy and an intense drinker. Captain Hitsugaya often complained about her bad drinking habit.

"Ohayo, Kyoraku-taichou, Harumi-chan!" she took a swig from a bottle of sake, grinning drunkenly.

"She's already drunk..." Harumi muttered, blinking. _That's actually not too surprising..._ she added mentally, but smiling good-naturedly.

Kyoraku tried to convince his underage daughter to take a drink from his sake bottle, saying that it would be "symbolic". Harumi eagerly pushed away the bottle and refused to do anything of the kind.

"Papa, I'm not even a real Shinigami yet," she insisted, trying to save her father from being scolded about his parenting skills by the captains staring at them. "_And_ I'm underage. I can't drink!"

"Ah, Harumi-chan, you shouldn't follow the rules so diligently!" He tipped his hat down and smiled coyly.

"Papa, just because _you_ are a captain and can pretty much do what you want, doesn't mean _I_ can." Harumi tapped on his straw hat and rose, shaking her head at her father's requests. She began walking over to Tatsuo, but stopped. He was talking to his father about something... his eyes were brightening and he looked happy about something. Whatever it was, she didn't want to interrupt.

The young, almost Shinigami took a seat under a sakura tree in the corner of the courtyard. She sighed contently, staring up at the sunlight shining through the pink flowers. She untied her Zanpakuto and laid it across her lap, closing her eyes.

_Ohayo, Tentsubasa_, Harumi thought, her mind coming in contact with her Zanpakuto. The familiar image of a winged white horse with a slight sky blue tint and electric green eyes appeared in her head, making her smile.

_Ohayo, Harumi-chan!_ Tentsubasa's voice was clearly feminine and carefree, but had a seriousness that one could only describe as wisdom.

_Can you believe that Tatsuo looks like __**that**__ now? Since when did __**he**__ become a man?_ Harumi admitted that it was kind of scary to see the Kuchiki heir after so many years. Especially since they were both older and matured.

_Last time we saw him, he was a scrawny teen with anger issues... oh, what puberty does to kids!_

_ Tentsubasa!_ Harumi groaned mentally, _I'm pretty sure he had hit puberty last time I saw him._

_That's questionable._ The winged spirit chuckled, making the sound of tinkling bells, shaking her feathered white wings.

"Hey, Harumi."

Her eyes flew open, recognizing the voice immediately.

_ "_Thanks for interrupting my talk with my Zanpakuto... jerk." She grumbled, glaring up at the tall young Shinigami in front of her.

"You can talk to it?" Tatsuo blinked. He hadn't been expecting her to be at the level of _actually_ being able to converse freely with her sword. It had taken him months of hard training to do that. Not that he wasn't connected to his Zanpakuto... it had just taken awhile.

"_She_," Harumi corrected, crossing her arms and standing up. She slipped her sword back into her belt and looked up at Tatsuo. "She thinks that you've become more manly since four years ago."

_I didn't say that... I said he finally hit puberty. There's a difference._

Harumi laughed. Tatsuo furrowed his brow.

"Excuse me?" He raised an aristocratic eyebrow.

"She's like that," Harumi yawned, leaning against the tree. "Anyway, what do ya need?"

"Nothing," Harumi narrowed her green eyes in suspicion.

"Okay...?" Tatsuo grinned and stood next to her, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"So you're graduating soon?" he asked, glancing at the girl.

"Yeah, in about a month." she sighed and stared up at the sakura blossoms.

"You don't sound happy about it," Tatsuo noted, confused. She had every reason to be happy. She was graduating a year earlier than all of the other kids.

"I am, it's just..." Harumi looked at the noble. "Everyone's upset with me. They think that just because I'm 'Kyoraku-taichou's daughter' I get to graduate earlier." She winced at the memory of people she thought she was friends with looking at her disdain.

"That's stupid." the Kuchiki heir stated bluntly, "Everyone thinks it's so easy to achieve Shikai and become a Shinigami until they actually enroll in school and find that it takes years and years to even be of worth to the Gotei 13. They're just jealous, don't worry about it. I dealt with the same thing." he yawned.

"Easy for you to say... you're done with everything." Harumi sighed heavily, fingering the hilt of her Zanpakuto. No matter what anyone did or say, learning the name of her Zanpakuto was the best thing that had happened to her. She enjoyed the constant company of a spirit with wisdom and firmness that helped her in whatever she did, no matter how insignificant or pointless.

"Yeah, but I stayed up every night for an entire year to learn the name of my Zanpakuto during school. It was worth it- I don't know how people live with out knowing who their Zanpakuto is." Tatsuo ran a hand through his raven colored hair.

"Me neither..." Harumi suddenly smiled, "Just watch, when I'm lieutenant of the 9th division, they'll all be sorry." she giggled and her eyes shined. Simply because of her personality, it was hard for her to stay angry or depressed for more than a few minutes. Tatsuo remembered this from when they were kids- he'd fume over not being allowed to fight with the Gotei 13 and stay frustrated and angry for _at least_ an hour. Harumi, on the other hand, would just smile and say that they should prepare before they were allowed into the Academy, so that they could become Shinigami faster.

"I'm sure they will..." Tatsuo chuckled and shook his head. _This girl is going to be in for a rude awakening... I highly doubt her Shikai is strong enough for her to survive even a seated officer's duties._

"_Harumi-chan_!" both teens looked up, wondering where the obnoxiously high-pitched voice was coming from.

A small girl, no older than 15, wearing the Shinigami Academy uniform, came charging towards them, her caramel colored hair billowing behind her. Her face wore signs of pure panic, brown eyes wide and frantic.

"Akemi! What's wrong?" Harumi ran forward, holding the young girl by the shoulders while tears streamed down her face. Sobs racked her body, yet she was clearly out of breath. "Calm down, what's wrong?" Harumi asked again.

"T-T-Takako-chan-n-n-" Akemi sputtered, still sobbing, "She's gonna kill Kiku-u!" That was all the other girl needed to hear, before she used Shunpo to disappear.

"Harumi!" Tatsuo shouted. He groaned and grabbed Akemi before using his own Shunpo to chase after his childhood friend.

_That girl is going to get herself killed one day..._

* * *

**I hoped you liked it, I worked pretty hard on it, but if you find anything that doesn't make sense or that you don't like, don't hesitate to send me a message or review (but you can also review if you like it ^^)**

**3 SSM**


	2. Chapter 2 Venomous Snake

**Alrighttyyy, here is chapter 2! I actually finished this awhile ago, but just had to make some finishing touches :) Enjoy ^^**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach**

* * *

Ch. 2

Harumi arrived at the scene unfolding in a courtyard at the Academy with Tatsuo right behind her. Akemi was clutching his uniform so tightly, her knuckles turned white.

Two younger teenagers had their swords drawn and were glaring at each other, a few slashes tearing their uniforms. The shorter one was sweating, her black hair sticking to her face, and hands shaking as they gripped the hilt of her unnamed sword. The other snorted, tossing her light hair over her shoulder.

"Come on, Kiku, is that all you've got?" she taunted, swinging wildly at the smaller girl, who leaped out of the way just in time.

"S-stop, Takako-o," she whimpered, weakly blocking a savage swing to her face.

"Takako." Harumi's hand shot out and caught the attacker's arm. Takako whirled around, glaring at the captain's daughter. "Stop." she wrenched her arm free and swung at Harumi, who, in one fluid motion, drew her sword and easily blocked the attack.

"Get out of here, Harumi! This isn't your fight!" Takako roared, leaping at the girl, who effortlessly appeared a yard away using Shunpo.

"It _is_ my fight if you threaten harmless students- especially first years." Harumi stood in front of the smaller girl who Takako had made her victim, defending her.

"What was I supposed to do? She's going out with _my _boyfriend!" there was a full pause. Harumi rolled her eyes.

"Is that _really_ the reason for all of this?" she asked, a bored tone setting into her voice. Tatsuo blinked.

"Hell yeah it is! I'm going to _kill_ her!" Takako screamed and lunged at Harumi, who grabbed Kiku and flashed away from the raging girl.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, Takako," Harumi said evenly. Takako spat, bristling.

"Do I care? You're standing in my way, _Harumi_. I'll cut down anyone who gets to me!" she leaped at the captain's daughter, who flashed away, all but throwing Kiku at Tatsuo.

"Take her and go somewhere safe, please!" she said. Tatsuo nodded and rushed the two girls off into one of the empty classrooms.

"Stay here," he warned and opened the door and let the frightened girls in. He turned around and stood in in the doorway, facing the scene going on in the courtyard, eyes narrowed

"You leave me no choice, Takako..." Harumi muttered, holding her blade vertical in front of her face, free hand resting lightly on the dull edge.

"Stop trying to sound like you're so much better than me!" Takako charged at her, anger raging behind her eyes.

"_Chime, Tentsubasa_."

A fierce wind whipped up, blowing around Harumi. In her hands was a new sword.

It was shaped like a katana and had a silver-blue blade with several dividing lines on it, looking like a one pieced blade. The silver guard had two white angel-like wings coming from the sides. The hilt was light blue, white, and a sea foam green, with three ribbons of each color coming from the end.

"Hah! You think you can stop me with a lame Shikai like that?" Takako laughed crazily. "Watch me break that pretty little sword to pieces!"

"_Kudakeru_," Harumi swung downward. The wickedly sharp pieces that made up the sword 's blade slid free and floated around her. The original piece they had been attached to became a silver whip, shimmering in the light of the mid-morning sun. She smiled and lifted her left hand, demonstrating how with one simple gesture, the shruiken-like pieces submitted to her will, swooping around her head.

"What is that? A joke?" Takako scoffed, furrowing her brow. She lifted her katana and ran towards Harumi.

The captain's daughter's whip lashed out, coiling tightly around her opponent's wrist. With a flick of her hand, the katana flew out of the other girl's hands, clattering on the wooden floor outside the classrooms. One of the blade pieces shot forward, slicing Takako's cheek, drawing blood.

The girl winced and frugally attempted to wipe away the blood flowing from the wound. She glared at Harumi and tried to tackle her, only resulting in her face planting in the dirt. Harumi flash stepped away from the girl every time she lunged. Quickly, the less experienced girl was panting, sweat trickling down her face, creating a stinging mixture of blood and perspiration.

"Are you done?" Harumi asked, tilting her head to the side. "I don't want to have to keep evading your moves."

"Not even close," Takako panted, frantically searching for her sword. Harumi's whip sent it flying across the wooden floor, farther away from the other girl.

"Please, Takako," she sighed, a pleading look in her eyes. "There's no point to you fighting. Have you ever thought that maybe your boyfriend really isn't going out with Kiku?" the other girl stiffened. "You should talk to him. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything of the kind." the pieces of Tentsubasa realigned themselves on the whip, becoming a solid blade again. Takako bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. She fell to the ground, sobs racking her body.

"He- _dumped_ me!" she wailed, crying into the fabric of her pants. Harumi relaxed and sealed her Zanpakuto, walking up to the girl. She kneeled next to her and patted her on the shoulder as if they had been old childhood friends.

They stayed like that for at least 10 minutes, Harumi good-naturedly listening to Takako's story of how she caught her boyfriend kissing Kiku, and how he broke up with her after that.

"Listen, I suggest you just forget about everything," Harumi said, looking at the girl squarely. "He's moved on, you should too. There's more to life than just chasing after guys, you know." she flashed a warm smile and helped the girl to her feet. "Do you need help getting to the infirmary?" the other girl shook her head and trudged away, head down.

"What is going on here?"

It was Byakuya, and he looked _ticked_.

"Kuchiki-taichou!" Harumi's eyes widened and she shot a glance at Tatsuo, who had gone stiff.

"Otou-sama, what are you doing here?" he asked, coming out into the courtyard.

"Harumi?" Kyoraku appeared next to Byakuya, Nanao following behind him.

"Papa!" the girl looked around sheepishly, "Urm, what are you doing here?"

"Harumi-chan, is everything okay?" Ukitake appeared out of nowhere, standing next to his old friend.

"Ukitake-san!" Harumi's eyes flashed to each captain standing in front of them.

"H-Harumi-senpai?" Akemi and Kiku popped out of the classroom, partially blocked by Tatsuo's tall form. He stepped aside and came up next to Harumi. The two girls froze upon seeing the captains. "K-k-k-Kuchiki-taichou... Ukitake-taichou... K-Kyoraku-taichou... Nanao-fukutaichou!" they bowed and shrank back, intimidated by the superior Shinigami.

"Tatsuo," Captain Kuchiki turned to his son, "What is going on?" his gaze traveled to the scratched face of Kiku and the blood on the courtyard grass.

"Kuchiki-taichou," Harumi piped, attempting to look at the menacing captain in the eyes. "I had to rush here to help a friend- that's all..."

"Harumi-chan, why is there blood on the grass?" her father looked amused, his eyes twinkling.

"Erm... well, you see..."

"And why did I feel a swell of your reiatsu?"

"Papa, I had to assist my friend, Kiku-chan. She was being bullied by an older student," Harumi fingered the hem of her uniform, not wanting to go into details.

Tatsuo resisted the urge to groan. Of course. He had shouted for Harumi right before he had ended up chasing after her. Their fathers had probably both heard and rushed over. As to why Ukitake was there, remained a mystery to the young man.

"Tatsuo, why are you here?" Kuchiki Byakuya's voice was flat, but it was clear that he was asserting his fatherly dominance on his son, since Tatsuo bit his lip before speaking.

"Harumi's friend came running up to us, and she said something I didn't really understand. Then, Harumi used Shunpo and began running towards the school and I ran after her, wondering what was wrong." he explained. The adults nodded, seeming content with his answer.

"The reason you felt my reiatsu, was because I had to fight..." Harumi added quietly, causing everyone to give her a questioning look. "I released my Zanpakuto..." she dropped her head, staring at her feet. "But no one was hurt!" she hastily added.

Kyoraku laughed, smiling at his daughter. "Oh well. Let's go back, nothing happened!" he disappeared, Nanao shaking her head and followed, but not before assessing the area one last time. Most likely, Harumi presumed, to make sure that she hadn't been lying.

"Ah, Harumi-chan, I am glad that no damage was done to you, or your little friends." Ukitake smiled and nodded to Akemi and Kiku, who, so starstruck, were only able to gape at the fact that they had been acknowledged by one of the oldest, strongest, Shinigami in Soul Society. Harumi smiled back. The Shinigami used Shunpo and left the area, leaving the two young adults alone with Byakuya.

"I should not fret over you, Tatsuo, you are an adult now," he said with a slight hint of a sigh. Harumi thought it was funny to see the infamous Kuchiki Byakuya acting fatherly and not in his usual cold way, even though she had even seen him let his son sit on his lap when he was younger.

"I am sorry for worrying you, Otou-sama," Tatsuo looked down shamefully.

"It is nothing." in a flash, the head of the Kuchiki clan disappeared.

Harumi turned to Kiku. "How 'bout we get you to an infirmary?"

The teens left, leaving their one observer unnoticed. Before he rounded the corner to the infirmary, Tatsuo saw out of the corner of his eye, a flash of light blond hair.

* * *

Once the girl had been patched up and sent home, Tatsuo and Harumi headed back to the Kuchiki Manor, finding everyone relaxing and hanging out like nothing had happened, but from the look they received from Renji, they knew that he had noticed the absence of the Shinigami that had chased after them.

"I must say," Tatsuo said, taking a seat under a sakura tree, "your Shikai is incredibly powerful, Harumi."

She sat down next to him. "You think so?" she asked the question in a shy sort of way, unsure of what to say.

"No, I'm just lying."

"Screw _you_, Tatsuo."

* * *

The sky was dark, and he stars twinkled above the heads of the Shinigami, signifying that the party would have to end soon. Harumi looked at Tatsuo's changed looks one more time, as if checking that the handsome creature in front of her was really Kuchiki Tatsuo, the boy she had grown up teasing and playing with. The moonlight made his skin seem to glow and his eyes looked silver, there being no sunlight to catch the secret color hidden within those gray orbs.

Tatsuo let his eyes gaze upon Harumi's beauty- the way her aqua green eyes seemed to sparkle even during the night, and her smooth cream colored skin glowing under the starlight. Her dark hair flowed down her back, appearing black in the dim lighting of night. Everything about her was angelic, and as she walked away, Tatsuo noticed her elegant gait and how she appeared to be walking on a cloud.

"It is late. I will be retiring for the night." Byakuya walked back to the manor, his son watching as the 8th division captain, his lieutenant, and his daughter laughed at something, Harumi's arm linked with her father's. As they grew smaller and more distant, Tatsuo felt a sort of aching in his chest, almost like it pained him to see the trio leave the grand estate.

He sighed and strolled back to the courtyard, his eyes involuntarily traveling to the tree that he and the captain's daughter had occupied for nearly the entire day. A sudden realization washed over him that brought a sad smile to his lips, wishing that he could go back in time just a few hours.

_That's the tree..._He thought, memories flashing in his mind.

When he had been no older than 5, Tatsuo had met Harumi for the first time- forced to stop playing with the stick he had found being carried away by a servant who cleared the yard, and meet the girl. It had been mid to late spring, and he remembered the girl was carrying a few sakura tree seeds with her, saying how _she_ was going to plant a cherry blossom tree somewhere in Seireitei.

"That's dumb." Tatsuo had scoffed, turning away.

"It is _not_ dumb!" Harumi had screeched and stomped her foot. "Watch, I'm going to plant this tree _right_ in your yard!" The young child had marched right up to Byakuya, who had been sipping tea with Nanao, and asked if she could plant a sakura tree in the courtyard.

"Why would you want to do that?" the head of the Kuchiki clan had asked, intrigued by the bravery of the child.

"Because I love sakura trees and yesterday was my birthday!"

Byakuya, in a flash, had the seeds planted in his yard- shocking everyone there, including his son, who had whined about it until his father had bluntly told him to be quiet.

Harumi had been beaming the entire day and had decided to try and play with Tatsuo, despite his sour attitude towards the younger child. To his great surprise, she had stolen the stick he had been playing with, and was sitting up in a tree, leaping nimbly from branch to branch.

Over the years, the tree Harumi planted grew extremely fast, becoming a full grown tree that she and Tatsuo continued to fight, play, nap, and hang out under. That was, until they started school and rarely saw eachother.

_I can't believe she actually remembered... I'd forgotten after all these years..._ Tatsuo thought, a small smile playing on his lips.

_If only I had remembered earlier..._

_

* * *

_

"Class, today we are going to have a Shunpo expert and 6th Division member demonstrate the types of situations you can use your Shunpo in besides just to strengthen your legs," the instructor pushed his small glasses farther up on his nose, standing in front of the door to the outside. Harumi sighed. _Why are the 6__th__ years also doing this? I've already mastered Shunpo...how lame._

The instructor slid the door open, bright sunlight shining into the hallway. He lead the group into a practice field, where a suspicious looking black garbed man stood, back turned to them. A soft breeze blew the tips of his long black hair around his shoulders.

"Who _is _that?" Harumi turned to face the girl standing next to her who had asked the question. Before she could answer, she was cut off by another girl.

"I believe that is a Shinigami," a sly smirk curled her pink lips, emerald eyes twinkling. Harumi rolled her eyes at her.

"No, really, Midori?" she playfully tapped the other girl on her bright blond hair.

"Well, Harumi-chan, what do you think?" the best friends smirked at each other.

"Oh, well, I _think_ I have a good idea of who it is..." Harumi grinned, immediately recognizing the reiatsu of the man in the middle of the field.

"Why're you grinning like you know something I don't?" Midori raised an arched eyebrow at the captain's daughter.

"One second, I'll be right back." Harumi used her Shunpo, performing a somersault and landing right on the man's shoulders. "Ohayo!" she shouted right into his ear.

"Fuc-"

"Tatsuo-kun!" Harumi teased, shrilly screaming at him.

"Oh my God, Harumi..." he groaned and attempted to yank her off of him. She locked her legs around his neck, preventing him from doing anything to remove her from her perch on his shoulders.

"Kyoraku! What are you _doing?_" the instructor used Shunpo and flashed up in front of them, classmates running towards them. "That is _Kuchiki Tatsuo_! I don't care if you're the daughter of Kyoraku-taichou! Kuchiki Tatsuo is a noble! You canno-" Tatsuo laughed, interrupting the old man's rant.

"It's fine, Takeda-san," Harumi smiled at Tatsuo's words.

"Yups, I've known Tatsuo for _ages!_" she rested her elbows on his head, leaning her chin on her open palms. "Since I was 3 I think... we used to hang out all the time!"

"Not _all_ the time..." Tatsuo grumbled, crossly ducking his head away, prompting Harumi to tumble to the ground, glaring angrily at the noble from the ground. She jumped up and leaned on the man, tugging on his sleeve.

"Yes, all the time, Kuchiki-kun," her slender fingers patted his cheek, "we always played tag, if you recall." Tatsuo crossed his arms and sighed.

"Fine, fine, have it your way. We were best friends growing up." The girl let free a chime-like laugh, eyes twinkling.

"Oh my God, is that Kuchiki Tatsuo?" one of the girls whispered loudly, drawing the captains' children's attention to her.

"The one and only," Harumi said with a demonstrating wave of the hand.

"I thought you said you hated him," Midori commented, crossing her arms, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Tatsuo's eyes became golden slits as he looked down at his friend.

"I wasn't _serious_," Harumi scoffed, smiling sweetly at Tatsuo, who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Did saying you wanted to tell him to take his nobility and shove it up-"

"ANYWAY," Harumi glared at Midori, eyes screaming "What the hell was that for?"

"Kyoraku-san, Dokuhebi-san, join your classmates. Tatsuo-sama, you may begin the lesson." the instructor ordered, glaring at Midori and Harumi, who were glowering at eachother. A silent hiss escaped Midori's treacherous lips.

"Alright, I am 6th division 5th seat Kuchiki Tatsuo, and I'm going to be demonstrating and teaching the different ways you can use Shunpo." Tatsuo began, scanning the group in front of him.

"Wait, you're in the 6th division now?" Harumi's eyes widened, and a grin reached her lips. "Seems like daddy got you in, eh?"

"Shut up, Harumi." He said, crossing his arms and scowling. "Anyway," his returned his attention to the rest of the group, "who here knows how to use Shunpo?" half of the group raised their hands, including Harumi and Midori. "Who can use it _well_?" the majority of the group dropped their arms, leaving Midori, Harumi, and a few other students. "Harumi, come here," when she began walking normally, he shook his head. "Use your Shunpo."

"Alrighty, Kuchiki-kun," in a flash, she was standing next to him, looking at him.

"Good." Tatsuo turned to the group, "that was a perfect Shunpo that most Shinigami use for getting from place to place. But there are several other instances that you could use it." His leg swooped underneath Harumi, who saw through his attack and flashed away. "Such as to evade an attack, or _to_ attack," he appeared behind Harumi, palm hitting the air where her head had been a moment ago. She flashed a yard away, head cocked to the side.

"Hmph, 5th seat-san, you really don't like me anymore do you?" She smiled, bright white teeth flashing.

"Everyone, I want you to use your Shunpo to get to that tree," Tatsuo pointed to a small tree a few yards away from where the students stood.

Harumi had to bite back a laugh as her classmates, who were all a year older than her, struggled with the simple task. Except for Midori. She easily reached the tree and wore a sly smirk as she watched the other people. Harumi furrowed her brow- sure, she had thought it was amusing, but the look on her best friend's face chilled her. Before she could really get a chance to figure out what it was, Tatsuo spoke.

"You," he motioned for Midori to come to him. She eagerly walked over, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Dokuhebi Midori," she gave him a dazzling smile, perfect white teeth gleaming. Her emerald eyes sparkled, trying to attract the man in front of her.

"Dokuhebi?" Tatsuo's eyes widened briefly, but quickly returning to the famous cold Kuchiki mask. "_Venomous snake"?What kind of last name is that?_ "Alright, Dokuhebi-san, I'm going to have you and Harumi demonstrate some simple situations- begin sparring." Midori's hand instantly drew her sword, the steel singing. Harumi rolled her eyes and disappeared, leg sweeping under her friend, who jumped away, only to find the edge of Harumi's sword at her throat. "Good." Tatsuo nodded, face appearing blank. Midori furrowed her brow, frustration crossing her face.

"You're talkative today, Kuchiki-kun," Harumi commented sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"Urasai, Harumi."

* * *

"Ok, we're doing a distance drill now," Tatsuo announced, facing the already sweaty and panting group in front of him. There were murmured curses and groans, but he ignored them. "I'm going to be standing in the forest clearing about a mile or two away from here. You have to use your reiatsu tracking skills _and_ your Shunpo. The first one there, other than Harumi," he glanced at the girl, who pretended to ignore his comment, "will get a letter of recommendation to the squad of their choice." Gasps and excited whispers traveled through the group.

"Why'm I not included in this?" Harumi whined, throwing her arms up in the air. Tatsuo ruffled her hair.

"Because you're already in almost all of the squads," he answered simply, smirking.

"Well, don't you think that a letter of recommendation from the famous Kuchiki-taichou's son would help me _completely_ secure a position?" She batted her eyelashes at him, leaning into his arm.

"Considering that you can have Nanao and your dad write an even better letter- no."

"You're so _mean..._"

"Everyone get ready, I'm going in."

Tatsuo disappeared with a slightly dramatic flair, his black hair flashing. Harumi rolled her eyes and sighed. She easily found him and sat up in a tree above his head.

"Do you really have to deal with these people every day?" Tatsuo asked, staring at the trees around him with a bored eye.

"Yup. Half of them are either in love with me, or think I'm annoying, but that I'm still hot." she replied, twirling a dark strand of hair around her finger absent mindedly.

"I see..." Tatsuo bit his lip. He could definitely see where all these people were coming from. A lot of people probably mistook her bubbly carefree attitude as a bratty, stuck up girl who thought she was better than everyone else. The guys were probably too distracted by the way her hair flowed down her back and how her soft cream colored skin glowed in the light...

"Well isn't this awkward..." Harumi commented, laughing softly. She took in a deep breath of forest air, feeling the fresh natural air fill her lungs. It revitalized her and brought a smile to her lips. Her eyes wandered to Tatsuo, taking in his gorgeous looks.

She watched as the wind played in his black locks, blowing strands around his face, though controlled by the kenseikan he wore so proudly. The sun hit his eyes at the perfect angle, showing off the true golden color of his eyes. They almost seemed to change color according to his mood. When he wanted to really be his father's son, they were a cool slate gray, unwavering and solid, but when he was free and having fun, they shone gold, letting his soul truly shine through.

Harumi's eyes ran down the angled features of his aristocratic face- his straight nose and chin, the slight curves of his cheeks, and high cheekbones. His perfect lips curved into a slight smile at one of his thoughts. Harumi cocked her head to the side and giggled. Though he put on such a hard, cold mask, he really was just a regular guy underneath it all. Well, he wasn't completely regular, meaning he didn't try to get her to make out with him every time they were alone, which was pretty much what all the other guys did. No, Tatsuo had something that could only be obtained by being a true Shinigami- _honor_.

"How old are you now, Harumi?" his smooth voice broke through her thoughts.

"Hm?" she shook herself back to the real world. "Oh, I'm turning 17 in a few weeks. Why?"

"No reason." the Kuchiki heir looked up at her. "I didn't think you were that old."

"Hey!"

He laughed, "Hey, I'm 19 now, so you really compared to me, you're like a baby, Harumi-chan." she froze mid laugh. _Harumi-chan..._ He hadn't called her that since they were little kids...

"You haven't called me 'Harumi-chan' since we were like... eight." she noted, staring at him. He rolled his eyes.

"If you recall, I stopped calling you that because you wrote all over my bedroom walls saying 'Tatsuo is in love with Harumi' and 'Tatsuo-kun is going to marry Harumi' and stuff like that." Tatsuo raised an eyebrow. Harumi giggled.

"I remember that! Kuchiki-sama was _livid_!" She began laughing so hard at the memory of Byakuya stepping into Tatsuo's room, eyes flaming, that she fell out of the tree. Tatsuo struggled to stay calm, wanting to burst out laughing like she was. He choked on a laugh and started cracking up.

"Hey, that wasn't funny!" he gasped, unable to control himself. "I got in major trouble for that!" Harumi was literally rolling around on the ground, her silky hair becoming tangled with leaves.

"Oh- my- God-" she sat up, clutching her sides, eyes watering. "I swear that was the only time I've ever seen your dad really angry!" Tatsuo tried to regain his composure, but every time he got remotely close to calming down, the memory flashed back into his brain.

"You guys are really loud," Midori appeared in front of them, panting. The two old friends stiffened, uncomfortable with the girl's sudden and disrupting arrival.

"So, Dokuhebi-san, which division do you want to join?" Tatsuo asked, using his noble manners to include the blonde.

"Well," Midori bit her lip and stared up at the man with "innocent" eyes, "whatever division are _you_ in?" Harumi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Since when had Midori been stupid enough to be so distracted by someone's good looks that she didn't listen to a single word he said?

"Sixth," Harumi answered for the Kuchiki heir, "he already said that earlier."She sighed.

"Oh, right! Sixth. Yeah." Midori said, chuckling. Tatsuo faked a smile and glanced at Harumi, who pretended like she didn't see him.

"Have you achieved Shikai yet?" He asked, putting on his Kuchiki mask.

"I'm close to it, but it takes a while, you know?" Tatsuo nodded, though seeing through the girl's attempt at flirting and impressing him.

Harumi watched as her friend attempted to get Tatsuo to flirt back with her. _Why is she acting like such a brat?_ Harumi scowled and watched as her classmates came into view, panting and sweating.

Midori glanced at Harumi, green eyes suddenly sinister and glaring. She turned away from Tatsuo. His eyes narrowed as her blond hair swooshed in front of his face.

Why did he feel like he'd seen that before?

* * *

**Duh duh dah! What is Midori's problem? **

**Do we see some chemistry in between Tatsuo and Harumi? How shocking.**

**Well... happy Thanksgiving! -gobble gobble-**

**Please Review :)**


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